No takers thus far for Secretary of State post

Looking for a job? Here's a good one: Gov. Bill Ritter seeks new Secretary of State.

Despite a looming Monday deadline for Secretary of State applications and widespread speculation about who would apply, no applications had been submitted to Ritter’s office as of this morning.

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Last week, Ritter announced he would rely on the work of a commission to review applications for the position, now vacated by Mike Coffman, the current office holder who is heading to Washington as Colorado's 6th Congressional District Representative in Congress.

For such a high ranking position, it would seem well credentialed applicants would be hand picked by the commission. No special treatment here, however. In fact, the commission is requiring all applicants to submit a formal application package that includes a resume, three references and a personal statement describing his or her interest in the position.

A Face The State Open Records Act request reveals that no one has yet applied for the post.

“The governor’s office has two pages of public records responsive to your request,” Craig Welling, deputy legal counsel to the governor, wrote to a FTS reporter. “Those two pages are the press release announcing the seven-member panel to review applications and a copy of the blank application, both of which are available on the governor’s website.”

Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, who unsuccessfully ran for Secretary of State in 2006, confirmed he plans to apply. Gordon says he has already written his application but is not submitting it until Monday. Other potential candidates are rumored to include term-limited Speaker of the state House Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, and former Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Golden, who only narrowly lost her own primary bid this year for Colorado's 2nd Congressional District.